Hops, bites, and good vibes at Hillman Beer - Old Fort

Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on a single, unannounced, and anonymous visit. Your experience may differ from what is presented here.

As The Paper broadens its coverage, our eyes wander to restaurants outside our county’s borders. However, in this case, there is a local tie to Burke County, as inspiration for this review.

Our Morganton Hillman Beer location does not offer food, and we wanted to see what kind of menu Hillman Beer offers.

On a cool Monday afternoon, my boyfriend, Landon, and I took a drive to Old Fort for a sit-down evening with the Queens (A&E Editor Sandra and fellow Senior Reporter Marty). Also joining us was Advertising & Marketing Coordinator Devan Berry and her boyfriend, Bryan Federhenn.

Although the future of the Morganton location is yet unknown, we were inspired to get a bite at its sister location in the Queens’ neck of the woods (they are lifelong McDowell County residents), so we headed up Interstate 40 West to Old Fort. Here are our thoughts. Spoiler alert, we are definitely coming back soon.

THE ATMOSPHERE

The Queens and I, with Landon, arrived at the same time, behind the restaurant. As Sandra and I walked side by side, she showed me the damage left in Old Fort from Hurricane Helene.

We made our way into the restaurant and went straight to the bar where you order. We all decided to order beers while we waited for the Berry/Federhenn crew.

I ordered the $3 beer as part of their Monday special, which was the pumpkin ale called IFFY (It’s F@!#ing Fall Y’all). I know it’s not really in season, but it was cheap.

Landon got the Blueberry Rauchbier ($6), which was described as having a light smoky flavor with blueberry puree and a caramelly, melty tang.

We walked out onto Hillman’s outdoor seating area to look at Mill Creek, which flows beside the restaurant. Of the same mind, we all agreed we would need to come back during the summer when they roll up the vinyl windows and offer open-air dining.

Throughout the evening, more people trickled in along with different furry friends. Hillman’s is dog friendly, as long as pups are leashed, well-behaved, and non-disruptive, according to their signage.

Overall, the vibe was “loungey,” however, I’m sure the place is hopping during the weekend.

THE SERVICE

In all, we all received our food less than 20 minutes after we ordered.

Once we were all together at the table and had our food, we joked about the modern tradition of taking photos of the plates.

A server, Scott, walked up, overheard our conversation, and asked what our tradition was. He offered to take a photo of our group, but noticed Landon’s beer glass was empty. In order to make the picture perfect, Scott asked if Landon needed a full beer and brought it back promptly. Then, Scott climbed onto the rail for a better view and got a beautiful picture of our group.

Dear Scott had added a special touch to our evening by going out of his way to get the photo.

OUR ORDER

It took me a hot minute to decide on my order, but I ordered the falafel wrap ($13) with falafel, pickled onion, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, and mixed greens in a spinach wrap.

Landon chose the patty melt ($14), served on sourdough with Hickory Nut Gap grass-fed beef, caramelized onions, and Swiss and cheddar cheeses. We both substituted our pub chips for fries for an extra $2 after they received high praise from the Queens.

Sandra ordered her go-to grilled cheese ($12); Marty had the fried buffalo chicken wrap ($14); Devan chose the fried chicken sandwich ($15); and Bryan selected the Reuben.

THE FOOD

All I can say is, I would love to have this food closer to us. My wrap was incredible and very filling. I did wish there was a little more sauce on my wrap, but I just love saucy foods. The fries did not disappoint, and the homemade ranch was off the chain.

According to Landon (and his clean plate), his patty melt was very good. He normally is not a fan of onions, but he said these onions were cooked to perfection. Everyone else at the table had cleaned their plates, with crumpled napkins and mere crumbs left to show for it.

THE VERDICT

Amongst The Paper crew, we agreed that this would be a perfect place for our next get-together. Great beer, delicious food, and the view matched together make for a perfect hang-out spot.

In the wise words of Devan:

“I’ll keep this short, sweet, and straightforward. Hillman’s Old Fort location is a pretty special place. The service was timely and incredibly attentive. I have to give our server, Scott, some major credit because he went out of his way to get a group picture of all of us, and we didn’t even have to ask. Sometimes, it is all about the little things. … Great food, great beer, great people. 10/10.”